Job 16:12-22 ▼

12 “I was [living] at ease, but He crushed me and broke me apart, And He has seized me by the neck and has shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.

13 “His arrows surround me. He pierces my kidneys (vital organs) without mercy; He pours out my gall on the ground.

14 “He attacks me, making wound after wound; He runs at me like a warrior.

15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] And have defiled my horn (symbol of strength) in the dust.

16 “My face is red and swollen with weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],

17 Although there is no violence or wrongdoing in my hands, And my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not cover my blood, And let there be no [resting] place for my cry [where it will cease being heard].

19 “Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven, And my Advocate [who vouches and testifies for me] is on high.

20 “My friends are scoffers [who ridicule]; My eye pours out tears to God.

21 “Oh, that a man would mediate and plead with God [for me] Just as a man [mediates and pleads] with his neighbor and friend.

22 “For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.